Persona: SilenceSlumber
by Gigawolf1
Summary: All hell is going to break loose. Someone must stop the coming horrors. Reviewers will be asked to choose the direction the story takes, including which of two potential heroes will rise to the challenge. Short first chapter for that reason.
1. Our Origin

Noster Orti

Welcome, boys and girls! I hope you enjoy our wonderful carnival! We're only in town for a few days, so please, enjoy this pleasant diversion from your stressful lives!

Would you like your fortune told? I can read the cards and unravel the secrets yet to come.

Of course, to know your future, I must first know about you.

I apologize, could you come closer? My eyes are quite bad.

Hm. I can't tell whether you're a boy or a girl.

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Boy?

Girl?


	2. Silent Woman

Silens Femina

"I'm a girl, obviously!" shouts the girl beside you. "Are you blind?"

"I just told you I was" says the man in the booth.

"Oh…"

"So, what's your name?"

"I'm Hayaka Tanaka."

The man in the booth reaches to his right and grabs his deck of cards. He shuffles them briefly, then lays three face-down in front of him. "Well, Tanaka-san, pick up the cards in any order you wish. The first card you pick will be your past, the second your present, and the third your future."

While Hayaka focuses on the cards in front of her, you turn around briefly. Behind you is an odd man who looks like he had woken up and come straight to the carnival. He's being pulled along by a girl who could probably be his sister. Suddenly he looks at you. Your eyes meet for a moment before he vanishes into the crowd.

"… And your third card is the Knight of Cups. This card means you will overcome obstacles and enter into a new relationship. It means you should dream big." The fortune teller's words draw your attention back to his booth. You briefly look at Hayaka, who looks slightly embarrassed.

"Alright Ito-chan, now it's your turn!" As she says this, Hayaka pushes you in front of the fortune teller.

"Do you remember how this works, Ito-chan?" asks the fortune teller.

You open your mouth to speak, but Hayaka shouts out again. "How do you know her name? Are you a stalker? Did you steal her wallet? ANSWER ME!" She grabs him by the collar. You look around to see if anyone is watching. They are.

"You just called her Ito-chan a second ago!"

"Oh…" Hayaka releases the man and steps back.

The fortune teller looks somewhat scared, but otherwise alright. "So, do you remember how this works?"

"Yes" you answer softly.

The fortune teller shuffles his deck and places three cards in front of him.

The cards are numbered, starting from your left (the fortune teller's right), 1, 2, and 3. What order will you choose them in?


	3. Says

Inquit

"Middle" you say as you reach for the centre card. You draw it in front of your face and see an old man with a beard and a lamp. You hand it to the fortune teller.

"Ah, the Hermit card represents your past. He represents a willing descent into darkness for the sake of being able to see the light. You were silent so that the voice within you could be heard. Since it's your past, you found what you were seeking in the darkness and may speak again."

Before you can reach for the next card, Hayaka violently grabs the fortune teller by the neck. "You really are a stalker, aren't you, you creepy bastard! Why do you know so much about Ito-chan?"

The fortune teller gasps and struggles to remove Hayaka's hands from his throat. He forces her hands open for only a moment. "It's fortune telling!" he says before losing the fight.

"Hayaka-chan, fortune telling is vague so it sounds like anything." Your words draw Hayaka's attention, but the fortune teller is still dying. "He didn't know, he was being metaphorical."

"Oh…" Hayaka releases the fortune teller, who is visibly relieved.

You face the fortune teller and bow. "I'm sorry, my friend was surprised by what you said. You see…"

"No, it's no problem" he says, interrupting you. "A pair of cousins came by earlier and the girl also attacked me. It's not that uncommon." He starts laughing, causing you and Hayaka to look away in embarrassment. Soon he regains his composure, and asks you to pick your second card.

You look at the two remaining cards. You get a good feeling from the one on your right, so you reach out and take it. When you look at it, you stare into the empty eye sockets of a skeleton riding a horse. You recoil slightly and urgently hand the card to the fortune teller. He looks at it for a moment before speaking.

"Ah, Death. Don't worry, the card doesn't mean you're going to die. It represents change and renewal more than anything else. A part of you will be left behind so you can advance. What you leave behind may be your fear of the unknown, or pain that's held you back. You should accept this change, so that you may continue to grow."

You stand silently, taking in the fortune teller's words. Hayaka is also silent. The fortune teller sighs and reaches for the last card. "The remaining card represents your future." Before he can grab it, a sudden wind picks up the card and sends it flying through the air. Hayaka immediately takes off after it while you stand in shock. "Ito-chan!" shouts the fortune teller. "Help your friend! That card represents your future."

You look at the fortune teller, wondering if he actually believes his predictions.

"What if your friend doesn't look where she's going?" says a feminine voice, different from your own. You turn around but don't see anyone who could have said anything.

Will you stay with the fortune teller? Or will you try to find your friend?


	4. Shadow

Umbra

You dash off in search of Hayaka. You look around wildly. Catching a glimpse of your friend's back, you begin to chase her. You shove people aside as you try to keep her in sight. Soon you emerge from the crowd, but you've lost sight of Hayaka.

You walk down the path, hoping to find Hayaka. Suddenly you hear her scream to your right. You turn and bolt in that direction. You aren't paying attention to your surroundings, however, and soon find yourself surrounded by trees. You have no idea where you are, and you're no longer sure which direction Hayaka's scream came from.

As you catch your breath, you hear a voice in your head. "This way" says the feminine voice. You search for the speaker, but just like before, there is no one around. However, you spot a strange glowing thread. You begin to follow it. Once more the world around you fades as you focus on finding Hayaka.

You soon find yourself in a clearing. Hayaka stands in the middle, but she is not alone. In front of her is a strange dark creature. It seems like it's stuck in the ground. Neither is moving. You move towards her, then something

[_blood they're bleeding oh god_]

flashes before your eyes. Your head hurts now.

"Why?" you ask yourself quietly. The pain worsens, causing you to grab your head in agony. You look at Hayaka. She still hasn't moved. "Hayaka!" No response.

You hear a rustling to your left. Still in pain, you look in time to see another creature emerge from the foliage. Though it resembles the one near Hayaka, it sends chills down your spine. Suddenly

[_no you cant leave_]

another scene flashes before your eyes. "Why now?" you cry.

"I will never leave you, Ito." The voice sounds different now. You look at the creatures

[_from the sea of your soul_]

and suddenly your headache fades. You feel calm. Excited. You know what to do.

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Not all choices are yours to make. Instinct and reason are always in conflict. If you have free will, so too do all others. Even within yourself, you are not always in control. You may wish to forget, but your memories will stay with you.


	5. Mask

Persona

The creature to your left suddenly bolts from the underbrush and heads towards Hayaka. However, you are not worried. A smile crosses your face as a blue mist surrounds you. The creature

_[shadow_]

lurches to a halt. It struggles, as though chained. As it does, its bonds become more visible.

The blue mist gathers and begins to take form. Slowly it forms a woman's bare belly. From there extend six hairy, insect-like legs. Her upper body is draped over as though she were sleeping atop the creature. Her arms are bent at an odd angle to help support her weight. Her breasts appear to be the eyes of the creature. The whole thing resembles nothing less than a spider.

"You art I, and I am thou," it says in a soft, yet slightly raspy, voice. "From the sea of thy soul I come." You can now tell the shadow is being held by threads the spider-woman made. "I am Arachne, the weaver." You realize her voice was the one you heard earlier. "Ito,

[_run ito_]

"you need to kill it."

You grin. "I don't have a weapon, Arachne." The words seem familiar to you.

The woman's face smiles back at you. "Then I shall give you mine." A curved dagger appears on the ground in front of you. It looks quite vicious. You bend down and grasp it. It feels familiar in your hand. You approach the restrained shadow. You hold the dagger to the shadow's body. The threads holding it back keep it from moving about as you shove the dagger into the darkness. It lets out what sounds like a strangled scream before exploding and vanishing. And then your world turns red.

All you see is red. Your eyes are covered in a veil of blood. You can barely see the lifeless bodies of several people. You recognize the two closest to you as your parents. By each of the corpses stands a shaded figure, the one who took their life. You can't see any distinguishing features, nor can you count them. But you know, all the same, that they are like you.

The scene changes and you find yourself covered in blood. You know the living people from before are with you, but you cannot see anything. You try to vomit, but nothing happens. Your body writhes in agony, but you cannot free yourself.

"Welcome to the Bloody Court, my most esteemed guests." You stop squirming. You can see the speaker through the blood. He

[_it_]

sits upon a luxurious throne. On his lap sits the lower half of a naked woman. Her top half is draped unceremoniously across one arm of the massive seat. The beast upon the throne is playing with the woman's organs like a demented child. "It has been a long two years. It's wonderful to know you all still remember your Personae." The speaker waves his right hand and an assortment of half-animal half-human beasts appear. Arachne is amongst them.

One of the bloody figures walks up to the throne. A werewolf stands beside him. He whispers something to the man

[_monster_]

on the throne. Though you cannot hear the words, the thing on the throne laughs. Both the one who approached the throne and the werewolf vanish. You begin to feel tired, and close your eyes.

"Ito! Wake up, Ito!"

"Wake up Ito-san! What if she doesn't wake up, Hayaka-hee?"

You open your eyes to find yourself looking up at Hayaka. She looks relieved that you are fine. You also notice that there is a small white creature with a blue hat standing beside her.

"Who's that?" you ask weakly. This causes Hayaka to panic, and she grabs your shoulders and begins to shake you. "It's me, Hayaka! Don't you remember?" Tears begin to form in Hayaka's eyes.

You brush her hands away. "I know who you are. I was asking about that." You point to the nearby creature.

"Oh…" Hayaka looks in the direction you're pointing, and screams as she sees the strange being beside her for the first time. "What the hell is that thing?"

The strange creature gives you a broad grin. "Hee-Hoo!"

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A choice you made may have saved your friend's life. However, you have only seen the surface of the growing darkness. Soon your choices will affect many people's lives. Some choices will be hard, while others will surprise you.

You, too, will be changed by the choices you make. As you move forward, your fate will be decided by those whose lives you have touched. And as you approach the end, you may discover your true self.

But more than anything else remember that you are never alone. Your actions do not just affect yourself, and your words hold much power to those close to you.

One day, you will reach the end of your journey and ascend to true understanding. On that day, when your conscious and subconscious are one, The World will truly be yours. But until then, it is simply another card in the deck.

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You and Hayaka return to the festival to find that everyone is gone. Both of you are silent as you make your way back to where the fortune teller was. When you arrive, you find that the booth is abandoned. Disappointed, you and Hayaka begin to make your way home. As you're walking, you see a guy in the distance carrying a sleeping girl on his back. You feel as though you've seen him before, but you can't quite place him.

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The number five is special to human beings. All around them are the four elements of fire, water, wind, and earth. Their lives are governed by matter, energy, time and space. They worship the majestic eagle, the ferocious lion, the mighty bull, and the beautiful angel. And in the midst of them all lays the unknown perfection that exceeds all others. These are the fates from which you must choose.

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When you arrive home, you move quietly so that you don't wake your grandmother. Arriving in your room, you slip into bed, exhausted from the day's events. Before you fall asleep, you take the card Hayaka almost died for from your pocket. It shows a woman surrounded by a bird, a cat, a cow, and a person. You have no idea what it could mean, except for the words written on it. In English, 'The World'. In Japanese, 'sekai'. You soon close your eyes and drift into the night.

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The world does not stop simply because you sleep. Your choices always matter, even in the world between dreams and reality.

What fills your mind as lose yourself in the peace of silent slumber?


End file.
